Wheel torque spec?

[MengHang]

I'm replacing my Brakes for the first time.

What is the torque spec of the wheel nuts?
A friend of mine said 66 lbs but I wasn't sure

Help? I have a 2002 WRX
thanx guys.

[MengHang]

What!!

No body change their wheels?
Nobody has rims???

[Trainable]

Should be in the owners' man. in the fixing a flat section I believe. People have also posted it in random threads around here if you search. My memory tells me it is 74ish ft*lbs, but I would double check.

[TheFugitiveMind]

i do 75ft lbs. and so does Americas Tire/Discount Tire Co. on my 05 WRX

[MengHang]

Should be in the owners' man. in the fixing a flat section I believe. People have also posted it in random threads around here if you search. My memory tells me it is 74ish ft*lbs, but I would double check.

I looked at the manual and it never says anything about torque. Not in the fixing flat section or any of the spec section.

I called the dealer...they just put me on hold forever...

[MengHang]

FOUND IT. THANX GUYS

[blarg]

just crank it till the nut breaks off.

[Trainable]

just crank it till the nut breaks off.

Just make sure you use an impact wrench like a real life prof. mechanic.

[TheFNG]

FOUND IT. THANX GUYS

Would have been nice if you mentioned what the torque spec. is and where you found it.

[MengHang]

sorry. It gave me a range of torque, so I chose 80 lbs. The book said 60-70 lbs but I just don't want the wheels to fall out like in my Expedition which nearly destroyed the car. I torqued them to 70, but decided to up the notch to 80 for safety. Do you guys think 80 is too much? A friend of mine has a 98 Eclipse and he torques them at 75.

I found the numbers in the "change your wheel" section of the manual. Look for the pix of the spare wheel being used.

some of the info above is NOT exact, because I don't have the book on hand, but I did torque them to 80 for safety.

I think WE all do a little more than routine driving to work/school. Spirited driving with a loose wheel is NOT a good ideal for anyone.

[Trainable]

I follow the torque specs and I remember someone explaining that the torque spec is a pretty exact number calculated based on the materials tensile strength, bolt diameter, thread thickness, etc at which the nut/bolt will effectively lock because of slight deformation of the metal, but will return to its original state when loosened. If you are under the torque specs the deformation does not take place so there isn't the locking effect and if you are over you risk permanent deformation and fatigue which could lead to not being able to achieve the locking effect or the lug breaking off down the road.

To me this makes sense based on what little I took out of my material sciences cours in college so I follow torque specs to a T. Remember though with the alloy rims you need to retighten after.... 300 miles .... I think. It tells you in the manual though.

[TheFNG]

I had looked everywhere in the manual, and read the tire changing section as well, never did find the wheel torque spec.

I would definitely retighten the lugs after a day of driving, then check them again after a few hundred miles. We changed the wheels on my brother's car a while back, torqued them to the spec., then didn't think about it. After I think two days I checked them, and they definitely needed to be tightened!

[RayfieldsWRX]

I do 75 lb-ft.

[sixtsix]

I also do 75.
Torque all 5 to 60 first, then increase to 75. Not a professional, just my advice.

[wrx wagone]

I use a 1/2 Craftsman breaker bar and "give it a good grunt". My internal torque wrench is calibrated.

IMO from my ME courses in college, the torque specs are there so that ham fisted mechanics don't torque the crap out of stuff and break it. They give you a range so that you aren't going to break the part and you will get things tight enough so that they don't fall off/apart.

A steel bolt will only not return to its shape after you pass its yeild strength. This will cause a perminant deformation. Also steel parts can be designed in such a way that they will have an infinite fatigue life. So it's not so much for the bolt as it is for the threads and the part. Much more care is needed if you are threading into a softer material like aluminum or magnesium. (ie lower torque spec)

After you've wrenched on enough stuff and calibrated your "torque wrench" (plus some common sense) you don't need a torque wrench, save for internal parts (enigne, trans, etc.).

I have three torque specs: snug it (oil pan bolt), torque it (give it a good grunt) and animalistic (half a scream away from shearing the head off).

*searches for flamesuit*